PeopleofSuperintelligence

Lab leader

Ren Ito

Also known as 伊藤錬

Ren Ito is the co-founder and chairman of Sakana AI, the Tokyo AI lab whose teams build The AI Scientist, Namazu LLMs, and the Darwin Gödel Machine. He studied law at the University of Tokyo and NYU, completed graduate study at Stanford, and worked in Japan's foreign service and at the World Bank. He led Mercari's global business and Mercari Europe through its 2018 IPO, then became COO of Stability AI in 2022. He joined Tokyo's AI Strategy Council in December 2024 and became a founding member of the AI for Good Global Commission in 2026; as of October 2026, he is Sakana AI's co-founder and chairman.

Now at
Sakana AI

Timeline

  1. 2001–2005

    Law and graduate study

    He graduates from the University of Tokyo Faculty of Law in 2001. He earns a law degree from NYU in 2004 and completes graduate study at Stanford in 2005.

  2. By 2015

    Diplomacy and the World Bank

    He joins Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2001, serves at the U.S. embassy on security and treaty negotiations, and works at the World Bank before his move to Mercari in 2015.

  3. 2015–2018

    Mercari's global expansion

    He becomes executive officer for Mercari's global business in 2015 and leads Mercari Europe through its 2018 IPO.

  4. 2022

    Stability AI COO

    He becomes COO of Stability AI in 2022.

  5. 2023

    Co-founding Sakana AI

    He co-founds Sakana AI with David Ha and Llion Jones in 2023. Its teams build The AI Scientist, Namazu LLMs, and the Darwin Gödel Machine.

  6. 2024–2026

    AI governance appointments

    He joins Tokyo's AI Strategy Council in December 2024. He becomes a founding member of the AI for Good Global Commission in 2026.

  7. As of October 2026

    Co-founder and chairman

    As of October 2026, he is Sakana AI's co-founder and chairman.

Sources and credits

Photo: We have no published photo of Ren Ito yet. Send us a free-licensed photo.

  1. [Special Feature: The Future of AI in Japan]: Can Tokyo be a global hub for AI development? Interview with Ren Ito, co-founder of fast-rising Sakana AI | Stories | Science Japan sj.jst.go.jp. Checked 15 October 2026.
  2. Ren Ito LLM ’04, co-founder and COO of Sakana AI, explains how his legal degree has helped him in a non-legal career law.nyu.edu. Checked 15 October 2026.
  3. Corporate Info — Sakana AI sakana.ai. Checked 15 October 2026.
  4. Sakana AI Chairman Ren Ito Appointed Founding Member of UN-led AI for Good Global Commission sakana.ai. Checked 15 October 2026.
  5. ITO Ren | TOKYO FORUM 2026 Shaping the Future tokyoforum.tc.u-tokyo.ac.jp. Checked 15 October 2026.